Utilizing GIS to Locate Endangered Gravel Hill Prairies of the Wabash River Valley

The Gravel Hill Prairies (GHP’s) of the Wabash River Valley are an endangered ecosystem in the state of Indiana and provide optimal growing conditions for a number of state endangered plants. Currently only four remnants are known to exist near Lafayette, IN, found by a previous study conducted in 1980 by Post, Bacone, and Aldrich (Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1984, vol. 94: 457-464). These unique ecosystems have been found to occur almost exclusively on soils classified as Rodman Gravelly Loams and Strawn-Rodman complexes which occur predominantly along the outwash terraces of the Wabash River and its tributaries. Seven Indiana-state endangered plant species, more typical of western shortgrass prairies, are documented on these soils. This research effort aimed to develop GIS maps to scout for and discover areas of unknown GHP remnants. The end goal of the project is to assist conservation groups in the development of a strategy to preserve previously undiscovered remnants. This project relied on spatial analyses with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and numerous databases including the USDA’s gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO), which had not been used previously to develop maps and scouting plans. Analysis have identified a total of 972 areas of interest, of which 53 have been visited and had preliminary plant lists put together. These field scouting trips have found five fragments of gravel hill prairie remnants along the Wea Creek and the Wildcat Creek in Tippecanoe Co., one remnant fragment along Bee Run in Warren Co., and numerous high quality open-oak woodlands. These fragments are at varying stages of plant community degradation, however, one of the fragments along the Wea Creek contains the state endangered aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius)

Core Forest Analysis along the WIldcat Creek for Niches Land Trust

A number of the properties that Niches Land Trust owns and manages are along the length of the Wildcat Creek, a waterway classified under the Rivers Preservation Act of 1973 as a “Natural, Scenic, and Recreational River System” in Indiana that flows through the counties of Tippecanoe, Carroll, Howard, and Clinton (with minor segments in Madison and Grant). The proper management of the land around the Wildcat Creek is crucial to the continued health of the waterway and the terrestrial ecosystems along its banks. Part of my volunteer work with Niches Land Trust involves the establishment of baseline data of forest area along the Wildcat Creek to be used in determining future ecosystem management and restoration projects. The study can also be used in the future as reference data to compare to in the future for determining the net change of forest habitat. My research involves the use of GIS to collect data and use spatial analysis to determine the amount of core forest habitat present in close proximity to the Wildcat Creek

Utilizing GIS to Locate Endangered Gravel Hill Prairies of the Wabash River Valley

The Gravel Hill Prairies (GHP\u27s) of the Wabash River Valley are an endangered ecosystem in the state of Indiana and provide optimal growing conditions for a number of state endangered plants. Currently only four remnants are known to exist near Lafayette, IN, found by a previous study conducted in 1980 by Post, Bacone, and Aldrich (Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1984, vol. 94: 457-464). These unique ecosystems have been found to occur almost exclusively on soils classified as Rodman Gravelly Loams and Strawn-Rodman complexes which occur predominantly along the outwash terraces of the Wabash River and its tributaries. Seven Indiana-state endangered plant species, more typical of western shortgrass prairies, are documented on these soils. This research effort aimed to develop GIS maps to scout for and discover areas of unknown GHP remnants. The end goal of the project is to assist conservation groups in the development of a strategy to preserve previously undiscovered remnants. This project relied on spatial analyses with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and numerous databases including the USDA\u27s gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO), which had not been used previously to develop maps and scouting plans. Analysis have located a total of 809 areas of interest, of which 47 have been visited and had preliminary plant lists put together. These field scouting trips have found four gravel hill prairie remnants along the Wea Creek and the Wildcat Creek, one prairie remnant along Bee Run in Warren Co., and numerous high quality open-oak woodlands

The effect of weed control method on soil nutrient availability and growth of different hybrid poplar clones

Non-Peer ReviewedDuring the early establishment phase outplanted hybrid poplar seedlings are the most vulnerable to lethargic growth or mortality because of interspecific competition with non-crop plant species for available soil moisture and nutrients. Consequently, there is a need to develop practical weed control practices that are not only successful at controlling non-crop plant species, but also cost-effective for producers looking to minimize their input costs. The objectives of this two-year study were to: i) evaluate the effects of different combinations of in-row (plastic mulch, herbicide, and control) and between-row (tillage, herbicide, and control) weed control practices on soil nutrients bioavailability and the early growth of four hybrid poplar clones (Walker, Assiniboine, WP-69, and Hill) and, ii) assess the relationship between growing season soil nutrient supply rates, measured using in situ burials of ion-exchange membrane (Plant Root Simulator™-probes), and growth of different hybrid poplar clones. Determining the effects of different weed control practices on growth-limiting edaphic properties and subsequent seedling growth should help to support effective management strategies, in terms of selecting an efficacious and cost-effective weed control strategy that promotes the establishment and growth of hybrid poplar seedlings, while minimizing the input costs incurred by the producer

The effect of repeated liquid swine manure applications on soil nutrient supply rates and growth of different hybrid poplar clones

Non-Peer ReviewedIntensive hog operations generate large amounts of manure that must be dealt with in an environmentally responsible and economically practical manner. Repeated applications of liquid swine manure within nearby hybrid poplar plantations recently has been proposed as an effective alternative manure management practice, given that these fast-growing tree species have high soil moisture and nutrient demands and, therefore, represent a tremendous sink for the applied effluent. The objectives of this two-year study were to: i) evaluate the effect of repeated broadcast applications of liquid swine manure on soil nutrient supply rates and growth of five hybrid poplar clones (CanAm, Hill, Katepwa, Walker, and WT-66V) and, ii) assess the relationship between growing season soil nutrient supply rates, measured using in situ burials of ion-exchange membrane (Plant Root Simulator™-probes), and growth of different hybrid poplar clones. There was a limited effect of applied hog effluent on soil nutrient supply rates after the first year and hybrid poplar growth after two years, which is surprising considering the application rate was three times larger than the agronomic rate typically applied. The limited measureable difference following manure addition may be attributable to a number of factors, including: substantial volatilization, microbial immobilization, increased leaching and denitrification losses, timing of manure application being out of sync with temporal nature of nutrient uptake by the trees, and a delayed growth response as absorbed nutrients are retranslocated within the trees. Determining the effects of repeated applications of hog effluent on soil nutrient supply rates and subsequent tree growth should help to support effective management strategies, in terms of developing practical effluent management practices required to mitigate any adverse environmental effects, but also increasing plantation productivity and the concomitant non-wood product benefit of increasing biodiversity within the agricultural landscape

CHARACTERIZING AND MAPPING THE FIELD SCALE SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SURFACE HORIZON SOIL PROPERTIES AND WATER CONTENT WITH NONINVASIVE EM38

The spatial variability of physical soil properties at the field scale is increasingly important in agriculture and natural resource management. Changes in topography, parent material, management practices, erosion/deposition rates, etc. can influence the variability of the soil’s physical properties and help guide management and land use plans. The Geonics EM38 is a noninvasive geophysical sensor which is used to measure the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of the soil through electromagnetic induction – primarily influenced by clay content, soil moisture content, and salinity. Soil moisture has been found to be a significant contributor to ECa and is therefore useful in determining both spatial and temporal variation in available soil water content across a landscape. This study conducted at the Lake Wheeler Research Facility in Raleigh, North Carolina examined the ability of EM38 to quantify and map the topographic relationship and variability of soil moisture content of the soil surface (0 -.15m). Soil cores were collected at 14 locations and used to determine soil particle size, bulk density, and available water content. Multiple EM38 surveys were conducted along transects of a rain-fed agricultural field and used to calibrate readings with volumetric water content. Data and maps developed with ArcGIS software will be presented of ECa survey measurements, water retention curves, particle size analyses, and bulk densities for soil cores collected. The goal of the study was to determine how soils – and associated moisture content – vary spatially and if this variability can be detected using EM38 sensor techniques

Determining soil nutrient requirements for growing hybrid poplar

Non-Peer ReviewedUnder conditions of adequate soil moisture, reductions in the early growth of tree seedlings mainly are attributable to soil nutrient limitations. Monitoring soil nutrient availability, therefore, is important for ensuring optimal tree nutrition and promoting successful seedling establishment and growth. Notwithstanding the importance of routine soil testing practices in supporting annual crop production, less than 10 % of the fields in western Canada currently are managed based on annual soil testing practices. Consequently, producers see limited utility in the fertilizer recommendations provided to them based on conventional soil tests. The objective of this three-year study was to measure nutrient supply rates at several hybrid poplar plantations in northern Saskatchewan, using in situ burials of ion-exchange membrane (Plant Root Simulator™-probes), and relate these data to plantation productivity during the early establishment phase. Determining the relationship between soil nutrient supply rates and seedling growth should help to support effective management strategies, in terms of proper site selection and elucidating possible fertilizer requirements

Poplars and swine manure – can they be compatible?

Non-Peer ReviewedThe results of two Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) projects and greenhouse studies are presented. Hybrid poplars are the fastest-growing trees in Saskatchewan and may have economic potential as an alternative crop. They also need more moisture and nutrients annually than other tree species for maximum growth. Under the projects, two hybrid poplar plantings were designed at Arborfield and Preeceville, SK, planted in 2002, which were compatible with field application of swine effluent. The nitrogen response of young hybrid poplar trees in the field was assessed and clonal differences were determined that might make some clones more appropriate in such plantings. Effluent was successfully applied to the two plantings at Arborfield and Preeceville with the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) effluent application truck to which modifications to the delivery system had been made. Nitrogen growth response was not shown in the newly-planted trees, but there was an increase in annual growth parameters in older trees at Henribourg, SK even though the final height of the trees did not depend on the nitrogen treatment. The projects showed important clonal differences in growth with Walker, Katepwa, WP69 and a clone of Populus tristis (Fisch.) having greater height and diameter than other clones. Greenhouse studies showed that clonal differences exist in nitrogen uptake rates and in preference for the form (ammonium or nitrate) with Hill poplar combining a relatively high productivity with a relatively greater preference for ammonium

Hybrid poplar plantation establishment in Saskatchewan: first year results

Non-Peer ReviewedThe production of Short-Rotation Woody Crops (SRWC) has been growing steadily throughout North America. In Saskatchewan, interest is focused on developing hybrid poplar (var. ‘Walker’) plantations for an expanding fibre industry, and as a means to diversify farm income and possibly to increase sequestered carbon. Preliminary results from a small 6 year-old plantation suggest that there is good potential for operational-scale hybrid poplar production over a 15 to 20 year rotation period. Larger-scale field trials were established in the spring of 2002 on two sites in the Meadow Lake region, to assess and compare select silvicultural practices that are regarded to enhance the growth of hybrid poplars. After one growing season, both types of rooted stock (cuttings and plugs) showed superior survivability (~92 %) compared to non-rooted cuttings (~40 %), underscoring the reduced risk in planting rooted stock, especially during dry years. Measurements of tree growth (tree height, stem volume, total plant biomass and root production) all indicated a noticeable advantage of rooted versus non-rooted stock. Observational data pointed to the necessity of thorough site preparation, adherence to proper planting techniques, and mechanical or chemical weed control for successful plantation establishment